Fountain Valley, California, Author Publishes New Novel

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The romance of an American soldier and a German woman faces daunting challenges in this World War II-era novel

(Vocus/PRWEB)March 04, 2011

The Bride and the Beetle, a new book by John C. Hennessy, Jr., has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.

In the desolation of post-war Germany, at a time when even life’s basic essentials of food and clothing are hard to come by, can two hearts find an abiding love? John, an American G.I., and Hilde, a beautiful German interpreter, meet and fall in love, but face daunting challenges—not only the specter of the anti-fraternization policy that threatens to keep them apart, but also the separation of miles and months of waiting hopefully for reunion as they negotiate difficult bureaucratic and legal hurdles.

Brought together by a chance introduction, John and Hilde are given a second chance at love by the luck of the draw when John wins the opportunity to buy a 1946 Volkswagen Beetle. When the United States military establishment intervenes to prevent the alliance of this determined American soldier with his German sweetheart, the Beetle makes the distance between them disappear. At Hilde’s request, John brings the Beetle home as a “souvenir” —the first ever in the United States—so that they will always remember the role it played in keeping their love alive.

The months that pass after John is discharged and ships out to return to the United States are filled with uncertainty and painful waiting before John and Hilde are finally reunited. Theirs is a journey in which the Beetle takes them down new roads as they begin their life together.

Author John C. Hennessy, Jr., who retired in February 1988, was a licensed civil engineer and a project manager on major facilities in the United States and abroad. This book was created in memory of his wife, Hilde, now deceased, after sixty years together. Mr. Hennessy currently resides in Fountain Valley, California.

The Bride and the Beetle is an 168-page paperback with a retail price of $18.00. The ISBN is 978-1-4349-0787-5. It was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, or to request a review copy, please go to our virtual pressroom at http://www.dorrancepressroom.com or our online bookstore at http://www.dorrancebookstore.com.